All Around Me
by Inuyashafanfun
Summary: The final battle left some irreversible scars...
1. Sunset

All Around Me

**DISCLAIMER! I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!**

The sun was setting over the horizon. The flecks of yellow and gold cascading on the glowing orange and red from the setting sun. Small animals sat and admired the sight as intently as the group of travelers. A young child gripped his mother's hand as he begged to be lifted to her shoulder. A older couple held hands together, smiling at the peace and serenity illuminating from the sight. The sun sank slowly over the horizon, removing the colors and peace from it's sight, leaving nothing but a starless darkness around them. The young girl placed the child down on the ground as the sun completely disappeared, tears falling slowly from her perfect brown orbs. The older girl turned slowly, eloping the girl in a strong hug as the sobs racked her body painfully. A small mew was vaguely registered from her ankles, but she could not comply. She could not speak, she could not see, nor could see hear. She could not hear the words of her friends, of the child that she loved, of the one she loved. She could not see their faces, unable to memorize their aging skins and face. All that remained was a locked memory of their young and youthful expressions of laughter, sadness, love and misery. She felt her son's head slip under her hand as the child wrapped his arms around her mother's leg, her own tears falling for her mother. The older man approached, trading the sobbing woman to his arms as well. Their hearts broke as she reached up, feeling atop the man's head. They knew what she was searching for, and unbearable guilt and sadness filled them as the watched her desperately try to find what she wanted, what she needed to feel. The man grabbed her hand gently, pulling it down slowly to his mouth, and said to her, "Miroku." Her sobs racked her yet again, stronger this time. Miroku looked at his wife, Sango. They're hearts yearned for the woman, but her love had disappeared many years before, and had never been seen again. In these times, there had only been one explanation. They began to lead the woman back to her hut, when they saw something at the edge of the forest. Miroku slowly handed the woman to Sango, who held tightly. Staff held out defensively, he waited for the creature to emerge. And emerge it did, and headed directly for Sango. Before she had a moment to think, the creature had her, and stole the woman from her arms. Miroku leapt to his wife's aid, but no emotion was shone on her face to explain what she had just seen take her sister.

The girl held still in the stranger's arms. Assuming that it was the arms of a friend, her powers long gone, she knew not the difference between friend or foe. She reached her arms around the neck of the person, holding tightly. They stopped in the middle of a meadow she assumed, only from the scent of flowers. The man wrapped his arms around the woman, tighter than any friend had ever done before. She was startled to say the least, not understanding the feeling she was receiving from this person. He pulled away from her when she did not return the hug. He looked at her, and said happily, "Kagome, it's me. I came back." Kagome could only stare, she knew not the man was trying to communicate. He snapped his fingers twice in front of her eyes, and his heart broke as he realized what was wrong. He pulled her hand to his mouth and said his name, yet she still seemed puzzled. Unable to comprehend what he had said. He was reaching last resorts, desperation was filling him, so he did the last thing he could think of. He took her hand, and ran it through his hair. Kagome's hands travelled through curiously, and stopped cold at his ears. Her mouth opened, though she had not spoken in six years, she still knew how to say it. Her eyes watered and she held him, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Inuyasha…"


	2. Prologue Part 1

All Around Me

Prologue (Part 1)

**DISCLAIMER! I DON'T OWN INUYASHA.**

_**I got a review asking what happened to Kagome. This was intended to be a oneshot, but I guess I didn't really elaborate on what happened to Kagome and what separated her and Inuyasha. This is to explain.**_

"Kagome…?" I stared up at Inuyasha, his tone softer than usual, almost startled me. It had been two weeks since I had last come back from home, and I was terrified he was going to be angry with me, extremely angry. We were so close to finishing the Shikon no Tama and I had "wasted" two weeks on my own back in my own time. This was the first time we spoke since my "lovely" greeting at the well. And I was almost fearing his speech today. But this tone… Was something different, a tone I had never heard before. We sat together in the Goshinboku, to branches facing each other. Though his perch was more of an agile cat where mine was an unbalanced chimp. "Kagome, we need to talk. I mean, really need to talk, this is important." I stared at his expression. It was stoic, like Sesshomaru's… And it scared me. He never looked like that, he always had a gruff expression in his face. But now, his perfect golden orbs were… Still. I reached out to place my hand over his, "What is it, Inuyasha?" I was hurt when he flinched at my touch, but a little relieved when he didn't pull away. Though nervousness flooded my being when he began to talk, considering when he did, he couldn't, wouldn't, look at me. "Kagome, you've been here for a good… Year?"

I nodded, memories flooding my mind of that horrible birthday. Talk about a fiftheenth birthday, get dragged down a well by a creepy demon and end up finding out you're the reincarnation of some priestess you've never even heard of. And almost get killed by two demons, one of which you fall in an unrequited love with… That was exactly one year ago today. And that love for Inuyasha had grown more than anyone could ever imagine. And his love for me…. Was nonexistent. Not that I expected it to really be there. How could he love me? A copy of what he first loved. I could never compare to Kikyo, and I knew that. Yet I could never seem to learn to accept my fate. "Well, that year was very, difficult… Wouldn't you agree?" I stared at the hanyou in front of me with immense confusion. Why was he talking like that? He never talked so wise, so calm, so… Knowing. "Yeah, I guess it depends what you mean by difficult. Being chased by different demons every day difficult or finding a good berry difficult." I giggled at my little pathetic joke, Inuyasha didn't. That shut me up quite effectively. "I'm serious, Kagome. This year has been so, up and down. And I know, I know that there has been a lot of tension between you and me." I tried to resist the urge to gulp. "Life between you and I, has put so much stress on you, I can tell…" He broke off, staring off into the sunset, his amber eyes almost searching for the rest of his sentence in the rainbow of colors that lit the sky. "And I think that, it's best if, when we find the rest of the jewel shards and defeat Naraku… That maybe… You should just…" He lowered his head, allowing his silver bangs to cascade over his eyes. I felt my heart stop and lodge up in my throat, almost preventing my choked words. "You… You want me to leave?..." He refused to look at me.

I could feel my heart breaking into to pieces, and I was too weak to pick them up. Inuyasha still wouldn't look at me, I grew frustrated at this, "I thought we were friends! I thought we were going to stick together! Always! I told you I would always be here for you!" I felt the tears pricking at my eyes, but I refused to shed them in front of Inuyasha. He lifted his head slightly, but I still couldn't see his eyes, and the voice that said these words was one of his I had never heard before. "It's better for everyone if you leave when we're finished." That did it. I felt everything stop around me. I felt my entire world just shatter. He didn't want me, he didn't even want my friendship… After all we'd been through, after all he'd done for me and I did for him… He was willing to give all that up? Just like that? I felt the tears overflow from my cheeks, and I knew he could smell them, 'cause his head shot up to meet mine. But all that he was met with was anger and heartbreak. "How… How can you just say that?" I felt the scream. It hurt my throat, I didn't want to scream. I wanted to cry, to hold him and beg him to think about what he just said to me. But I was angry, and I couldn't stop myself from saying it. "I hate you! You're a blind and stupid bastard that can't see what's right in front of you! Do you think I would have stuck around this long for the Fucking. Jewel. Shards?" His eyes widened, but I didn't stop. "I stayed here 'cause I wanted to! I stayed here to be with Sango! With Miroku! Shippo and Kaede! And YOU!" I felt the anger fading away with every name I screamed, but it wasn't gone yet. And I wanted it gone. "I know I can't replace Kikyo! I know that Inuyasha! But you couldn't even accept me as a friend here? You just want me to go so you don't have to look at your beloved's pathetic copy, right?" Inuyasha looked like he had been slapped. I knew that one stung, but I needed to say it, and there was one more thing that needed to be said.

"I love you, Inuyasha! I can't believe you never realized! And you know what, when we defeat Naraku. I will go. You win. Hope you're happy." I hopped down from my little branch and stalked back to the village, not caring to look behind me at the crying hanyou.

Two days passed from my outburst in the tree. And nothing had changed. Inuyasha was still distant and refused to meet my gaze. We had the last shard, and Naraku had the rest. We needed to find him, and soon, he was wiping out villages like there was no tomorrow. Killing innocent civilians, young children… Families. Lovers. It was a disaster, and it broke my heart. We decided to take residence in an abandoned hut for the night. It was cold and about to storm, and Shippo was no where to be found. I felt panic fill my entire being as I shouted his name. But there was no response, I spun around to come face to face with Inuyasha, I was on the verge of tears. "Shippo, where's Shippo?" He scoffed. "The runt is probably running around being stupid. He's probably fine." I couldn't believe this, we were in the most dangerous part of our lives and he thought it was okay for Shippo to just wander off? Demon or not, he was still a defenseless child. And that made me snap. "FINE! If you're not going to help I'm going to go find him myself!" And with that, I grabbed my quiver and bow and booked it into the woods we had just emerged from.

It was dark in the woods. Nighttime was coming, and I had been so fumed when I had left I hadn't thought to bring a light with me. I growled loudly and kicked a tree trunk, regretting it quickly as the pain surged into my foot. I swore loudly at the tree then tried to recall how much I had sworn these past three days compared to how much I've ever sworn. And there was a huge difference. I called for Shippo repeatedly, I never got a response. My hopes were starting to go down, then it occurred that he might have found us all at the hut. Hope filled me as I started back in the direction, when a branch snapped behind me. I spun around, arrow notched and ready to be fired. I searched for the noise again, the arrow pulled as far back as possible. When the sound didn't repeat, I lowered the bow and continued to walking. Only to be tackled to the ground by a youkai. Or should I say hanyou. I yelled as I felt Inuyasha yank me up by my arm and thrown over his shoulder, effectively making me drop my arrows and bow. "Inuyasha! Don't make me say it!" He snickered, "You say it, you're coming down, too. I wouldn't." I pouted. He had a point. He ran through the forest until we reached a tree about the size of the Goshinboku, where he placed me down, roughly, at the base of the tree. "Ooof!" I refused to get up, for I didn't know where we were, but I refused to look at my heartbreaker. He groaned, "Kagome… Please look at me…" I kept my eyes everywhere but his. I was determined. He needed to know the hurt that he had put me through. The rejection, the pain. But there was one thing I forgot about, I loved him, and he could get me to do whatever he wanted. "Kagome…" I looked up, and was lost in the amber eyes that surveyed my own brown orbs. I had these eyes memorized, all the tints and colors… But there was something different in his eyes today, they looked… Shiny… Almost… Like water? I felt my eyes widen in sudden realization, I reached my hand out to touch his cheek, "Inuyasha…" But he jerked back, turning his back to mine.

I sighed, "What did you want Inuyasha?" Because I really want to get back to the group and make some dinner and just go to-" "Ilveouoo." I stood dumbstruck. "What did you just say?..." He looked up at me, his eyes watering to the point of no regret. "I said… I love you, too, Kagome… I always have… I just wanted you to go so that I… So that I…" I kneeled down in front of my beloved. Never had I seen him so broken. I placed my hand on his cheek, holding his face close to mine. "So that you didn't hurt me more…" He nodded in my hand, warm tears spilling over onto my palm. My heart was breaking, not from hurt, not from rejection. But for Inuyasha. He had feared so much about an unrequited love as I had, but I had been able to push that aside to show I wanted friendship, he couldn't even do that in fear of losing me… And now, he was breaking. I reached forward, pulling him into a strong embrace, his head nestling itself comfortably in the crook of my neck, the warm wetness of his tears sitting on my skin. His sobs were silent, but violent, shaking the two of us in our embrace. "I… I didn't mean it… Please… Please Kagome… Don't leave me…" I held him tighter, rocking him back and forth.

"You're never going to lose me… Ever…"

**End of Prologue Part 1.**


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